2012 Dodge Caliber

small car / 4-door wagon

2012 Dodge Caliber 4-door wagon
2011 Dodge Caliber shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Optional daytime running lights

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2007-12 models

Tested vehicle: 2007 Dodge Caliber SE wagon

The Dodge Caliber was introduced in the 2007 model year as a replacement for the Dodge Neon.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Dummy movement was well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head hit only the head restraint, as indicated by smeared greasepaint.

The Caliber features an airbag that deploys from the knee bolster underneath the steering wheel. The dummy's knees and shins hit this airbag as indicated by smeared greasepaint, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0605
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 2
Left (cm) 8
Center (cm) 10
Right (cm) 9
Brake pedal (cm) 7
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 0
Rearward (cm) -5
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0605
Head
HIC-15 169
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 11
Maximum Nij 0.26
Chest maximum compression (mm) 35
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.5
Femur force - right (kN) 1.2
Knee displacement - left (mm) 4
Knee displacement - right (mm) 5
Maximum tibia index - left 0.48
Maximum tibia index - right 0.73
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.6
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 41
Right 78

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2007-12 models

Tested vehicle: 2007 Dodge Caliber SE wagon with standard front and rear head curtain airbags

The Dodge Caliber was introduced in the 2007 model year as a replacement for the Dodge Neon.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbag and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0623
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -14.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0623
Head HIC-15 612
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 63
Lateral force (kN) 5.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 51
Average deflection (mm) 49
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 6.52
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.76
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.7
Combined force (kN) 4.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 155
A-P moment (Nm) 37

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0623
Head HIC-15 244
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.3
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 58
Lateral force (kN) 2.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 30
Average deflection (mm) 25
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.97
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.34
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.8
Combined force (kN) 3.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 42
A-P moment (Nm) 14

How the side crash test is conducted

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2007-12 models

Tested vehicle: 2011 Dodge Caliber Mainstreet wagon

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 3,088 lbs
Peak force 10,982 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 3.56

How the roof strength test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seat AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seat AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 56
Distance below top of head (mm) 20
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.5
Head contact time (ms) 48
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 56
Max neck tension (N) 445

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.